DURHAM, N.C. -- USA Baseball announced today the remaining members of the 2009 USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) coaching staff which will include Elon Phoenix skipper Mike Kennedy. Former Elon head coach Rick Jones is the head coach for the 2009 squad.
"I am very excited about this opportunity with USA Baseball," said Kennedy, a Fayetteville, N.C. native. "I am grateful to the staff at USA Baseball and especially to Coach Rick Jones for intrusting me with this position. I have always wanted to work along side of Coach Jones and to do so on this stage is a dream come true. I believe this honor is a reflection of where our program at Elon is and I hope that my coaching staff, as well as our current and former players, take pride in this honor."
Joining head coach Rick Jones (Tulane) are assistant coaches Rob Cooper (Wright State), Mike Kennedy (Elon) and Dan McDonnell (Louisville). Cooper and Kennedy have both worked with Jones before, as a coach and player, respectively.
Rob Cooper is going into this fifth year as head coach of the Wright State Raiders, and he will serve as an assistant coach for the 2009 National Team. Coming off a runner-up finish in the Horizon League, the Cooper-led Raiders finished the season with a 30-23 record. Cooper was an assistant coach for the 2007 National Team as well, helping the U.S. win the silver medal at the Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. He also coached with Jones at Tulane from 1997-98, serving as the team’s hitting coach.
“Rob’s experience both with Team USA and Rick Jones is invaluable,” said Eric Campbell, General Manager of the USA Baseball National Team.. “We are extremely glad to have Coach Cooper back and the continuity he brings to our staff.”
Elon University’s Mike Kennedy will be the pitching coach for the 2009 National Team. Kennedy is going into his 13th year as the head coach of the Phoenix, and he is the winningest coach in school history. Elon won the 2008 Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, and it finished third at the NCAA Baseball Championships Cary, N.C. Regional. Before being named head coach, Kennedy served as Elon’s pitching coach for four years. He also played catcher under Jones from 1988-89 at Elon, and later spent time in the minor leagues as a member of the Oakland A’s organization.
“Mike shares a rich tradition with Coach Jones at Elon,” Campbell said. “He has continued to take the Elon program to new levels, and his experience as a college and professional player will help our players prepare for their future transitions.”
Dan McDonnell is currently the head coach at the University of Louisville where it is coming off a 41-21 campaign, highlighted by the first conference tournament title in Louisville history. In 2007 McDonnell took the Cardinals to the College World Series, which was the first such trip in Louisville’s history. His team tallied a program-record 47 wins and he was named the 2007 Rivals.com Coach of the Year.
“Dan has always been a great asset to us in terms of a wealth of information,” said Campbell. “Certainly being at Louisville and taking his team to Omaha is exciting for him and his program, but it is also exciting for us. We’re very happy to have Dan on our staff.”
Coming off of an unbeaten summer (24-0), and a gold medal at the FISU World University Baseball Championships, the National Team will participate in the annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championship Series in Japan and then compete in the World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, British Columbia (Canada).
USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The organization selects and trains the United States Olympic Baseball Team (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball National Team (collegiate); the USA Baseball 18U, 16U and 14U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year.